At last ‘A life’
By Julie D Cole
Chapter 18 Memories in a Box

I turned and looked as he wound down the passenger window. ‘Taylor Is that you. You fag I thought it was you when you got in the car. You little puff what are you doing dressed like that?’

I froze. Oh no I knew it couldn’t last. I had been so confident and now I felt like I wanted to crawl into a hole. Then I surprised myself by recovering my composure and I spoke ‘Do you mind. Who do you think you are talking to? Taylor is my brother. No need to be so rude calling him a puff. Who do you think you are?’

I saw that it was Selwyn Robinson who used to be in my class at school and who bullied me in the first year. He looked a bit rough even though he came from a nice family. The leering smile left his face and he just said “huh’ then he sped off. I walked up the drive and as I unlocked the door I just wanted to burst into tears. My confidence was shattered and I had to hide.

Julie was coming out of the kitchen and saw my tears as I took a tissue out of my bag. ‘What’s wrong?’. I told her what happened and she said I was quick witted and gave a good answer but that these are the incidents that I’ll have to face which is what mum and her had tried to tell me.

I took off my shoes and popped on some slippers and we went through to the lounge to see mum. Julie said ‘come on cheer up I’ve lots to show you, don’t take any notice of what he said. You are my Sis’ .

Mum gave me a hug and then I hugged both of them together for 2 or 3 minutes before mum said she’d make some tea.
The sofa had lots of bags strewn over it from Julies shopping trip and Julie said ‘Come on it’s just like Christmas’.

It was better than any Christmas and I didn’t know where to start. So Julie took over and after sipping some tea we explored the contents of each bag one by one. These were all for me and mum said she’d moved some things from my room to make space for these things. The underwear was so expensive and moreso than that I’d bought with Sally in Birmingham.

I couldn’t believe the prices on the tabs especially since it all came from Marks & Spencers. Julie said that the quality was very good and that I should realize that the best underwear is essential for any girl with high standards. I had to wear the best just in case I was ever run down by a bus or tripped up in my heels and broke an ankle.

Even though she was a bit younger than me she was very mature and always could make me smile.

Also she said I could afford it since as Chris I’d never spent much money because I never went out. Now she was going to show me how to improve the quality of my life and she’d always wished she’d had a sister rather than a brother. Mum was looking on with the occasional shake of her head but she kept smiling at us chatting together.

I couldn’t wait to try on the underwear since it was so nice. Sis had bought me several pairs of panties in various colours so that I had a good stock. I liked the ones with frilled edges and small bows. My favorite colors were the purple and the mauve.

I tried on some black trousers and Julie had bought a pair in size 12 and a pair in size 14 that is her size and said she thought I was slightly slimmer than her. Anyway she laughed and said lots of people do returns. The 12’s were a little tight on the waist but I felt that since they fitted well around the bum I’d ensure that they fitted perfectly by controlling my diet.

She had also bought me a black skirt of my own and another grey one since she felt I should look like a PA rather than a run of the mill secretary. She’d bought two blouses as well as a selection of lightweight jumpers and tee shirts. I loved one deep pink tight jumper that had a small roll collar and thought it would look nice with the black leggings that Sally had persuaded me to buy. She’d bought more tights and hold ups in various shades with my favorites being the 10 denier hold ups.

She bought me two pairs of black shoes, one with a 11/2” heel and the other pair had a 3” heel that I wasn’t sure I could wear. “These are for practice and then for nights out and not for daywear at work’ she said.

I was about to go upstairs to shower and try some on but mum asked us to sit with her on the sofa since she wanted to show me some old photos from an album she’d retrieved from the attic bedroom.

Just then I got a text from Sally to say she was home safe and to thank me for a great time and to call her if I could. I replied and said I’d call her in 30 minutes from my room for a short goodnight chat. Then I thought I’d better send a quick text to James to say I’d met Sally and we were ‘on’ for the weekend. He came back a few seconds later and said everything was arranged since he’d been absolutely sure we’d go.

Mum said to Julie that I’d really changed and now I was never off the phone or texting and she never had time to see me. She wanted to know what happened to her nice gentle son?
I smiled and said sorry then we all snuggled up on the sofa to look at the album.

First she showed us some photos of her with her mum and dad at Blackpool and then some more in Cornwall. She had lots of different photos but a lot had been cut with a person removed. She had tears in her eyes when I asked why. She said they’d cut off aunty Judy. We cuddled her more and I linked arms with her so Julie did the same at the other side.

I turned the pages and then asked why Aunt Judith had been cut off since they were sisters.

Mum said that they’d all been so sad so her mum had asked for all her photos of Aunt Judith to put them in a special album that her mum had wanted to be prepared. She then had decided to keep the album close by in a beautiful cabinet at the side of her chair that mum said was her memory chest of Judith. She would look at it every day for the rest of her life. Judith was her eldest daughter and had been very special because she’d almost died when she was young

I recalled that Gran had not allowed us near the cabinet and in fact she was never very friendly towards me that caused arguments between my mum and dad. Julie and were never allowed to go near this cabinet and we thought it was Grans private treasure chest that we might inherit one day. Julie said it was full of her jewels.

Then mum turned to the back page of the album where she’d got a pocket that had been inserted. She lifted a flap and Inside it were several photos of her and Aunt Judith. They were in there early twenties and mum had long dark hair and Aunt Judith had honey blonde hair that mum said was dyed. She smiled and said that her mum had told her not to do this but Judith was strong willed and ignored her.

I tried to take the photos for a closer look but mum hung on to them and held them to her heart, then she kissed them and one by one and she passed them to me. Julie shrieked and said ‘Chrissy just look it’s like looking at you! It’s amazing how you look just like her. mum is right’ Just a minute’ She shot upstairs.

As I turned to mum I could see she saw the likeness too. Julie came back with a honey blond wig and she combed it and placed it on my head and pulled it into position. Mum burst into tears and then Julie said ‘look in the mirror’ and then both Julie and I started as well. Julie took a photo of me with her mobile phone and then another with mum and me. She held the photo next to the phone image and I could see what they both meant. Aunt Judith and I shared the same facial expressions.

I asked mum if she and Aunt Judy were close as Julie and I and she said that they were so close that everybody said they were joined at the hip. My dad liked Aunt Judith and had often said to mum that the final choice was very difficult for him.

I liked the style of the wig and said I’d like to grow my hair to the same length.
Then mum turned to me and said that she’d been to see Gran that morning which was the reason why she didn’t go shopping with Julie. She’d looked at the memory chest with Gran and they’d both laughed and cried and enjoyed some stories of Aunt Judy.

Then mum turned to me and said ‘Chris I want you to do something for me’

To be continued………